1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of hand tools and more particularly to a new and improved hand trowel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior to the present invention hand trowels have been well known in the art for applying and smoothing various materials such as plaster, cement and the like. The typical prior art trowel consists of a generally rectangular metal blade to which a handle support is fixed by rivets or welding. A wood or plastic grip is then fitted to the support. Such an assembly requires several operations to complete. The handle support is either welded to the upper surface of the blade or is riveted through the blade and then the rivets are ground to provide a flat surface. A variation of the prior art structure is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,492 which issued to Harrington on Aug. 28, 1984. That trowel comprises a metal blade to which a longitudinally extending metallic rib is attached by welding or riveting. A metallic U-shaped support strut is assembled to the rib. The rib and strut are then encapsulated in a synthetic resinous material to form a hand grip and to conceal the rib and strut assembly. The Harrington trowel still requires a multi-step assembly operation in addition to the plastic molding operation.
An all thermoplastic trowel is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,302 which issued to the present inventor on Feb. 23, 1982. That trowel, while suitable for many purposes, is not intended for long term professional types of uses.